The present invention pertains to liquid crystal displays and particularly to a method related to the fabrication of active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCD's). More particularly, the invention pertains to electro static discharge (ESD) protection utilizing a shorting conductor across the external contacts during the fabrication of AMLCD'S to protect the display from electro static discharge damage to the display electronics. The invention further pertains to an effective and timely removal of the shorting conductor or bar.
The related art involves the use of a scribe or a laser to cut, remove or blow away the shorting bar between the contacts of the external leads to the AMLCD. Previous methods required prematurely cutting or removing the shorting bar before the polarizers were installed and the flex connectors were connected to the liquid crystal display, thereby rendering the display still susceptible to electro static discharge damage before the completion of assembly and hookup. The present invention prevents the premature removal of the shorting conductor or bar.